Description:

I am modeling and Archicad suddenly crashed. My last save occurred 30 minutes ago. Where can I check for the recovery file?

Solution:

1. Easiest solution here is to check for the recovery prompt when opening Archicad. The file name is often displayed in red.
2. If there is no recovery prompt during startup of Archicad after a crash, there is a chance that Archicad created temporary files when you worked on your project. 

The location of this AutoSave folder may be set under Options/Work Environment/Data Safety and Integrity…. The default settings are:

• • WIN: C:\Users\<user>\Graphisoft\AutoSave-<version>-<number of open projects>
  • MAC: System drive/Users/<user>/Library/Application Support/Graphisoft/AutoSave-<version>-<number of open projects>

*By default, the Library folder might not be accessible on MACs, just press Option (alt) to show the Library folder.

In that folder, you can browse for the database.fdb file of the @ODB_Database~ folder (in the AutoSave folder), copy it to the desktop and change its format to PLN by renaming it (e.g.: database.pln), then open it with Archicad.

If the folder does not contain a database.fdb file, it means either the project was not saved before the crash, or the crash was too severe for recovery.

3. In case the project was a Teamwork project, the steps are similar.Note, that this process will only recover the locally cached version of the project, not the full project on the server, however this can be re-shared if opened as PLN. The paths for Teamwork Autosave files are:

• • WIN: C:\Users\<user>\Graphisoft\TW Data\<Server Name>_<Project Name>_<User Name>\Autosave
  • MAC: System drive/Users/<user>/Library/Application Support/Graphisoft/TW Data/<Server Name>_<Project Name>_<User Name>/Autosave

If the related folder has more subfolders, searching by modified date will help to find the right one. 

If the folder does not contain a database.fdb file, it means either the project was not saved before the crash, or the crash was too severe for recovery.

Next Steps:

You can also check for the Archicad Backup files (.bpn). Every time you save your project file, a BPN format copy of the previously saved version of the file will be created at the same location.

You can simply open and use these files to recover your project if the original PLN gets corrupted or damaged. Save your files frequently to minimize the differences between the PLN and the BPN copy.

BPN files are automatically created copies if the corresponding checkbox is checked in the Data Safety panel of the Work Environment/Data Safety and Integrity dialogue.